Hope is a Light in the Darkness
by baka-chibi-puffs
Summary: Nazomi Kagetsu is a normal girl. That is untill she meets Sora. Her world is turned upside down and memories long forgotten soon resurface. Will she be able to cope with her past and face her future?
1. if only we had hope

Hope is a Light in the Darkness. By: Baka-Chibi-Puffs Chapter 1: ...If only we had Hope...  
  
AUTHORS NOTE! Hello readers, fellow authors, and members of the academy! (J/k... okay, so it's not funny... I'm tired all right?) I have started a new fanfic that I will updating simultaneously with my other YYH fanfic. I have put all of my other stories on hold so...DEAL WITH IT!!! Now, onto the story!  
  
Nazomi Kagetsu was sitting in a classroom in a small town in California, in a third-rate school, staring out a window. She had never liked living in her small town and being trapped in a routine. Every day it was the same. Get up, get dressed, go to school, go to Tae Kwon Do, Do homework, go to sleep and repeat. She had never even left the state! Her mother had often lectured her, telling her just how lucky she was to be living in such a nice place. She was rudely awakened from her daydream when the teacher slammed a book upon her desk. She measly winced and said, "Do you mind, I'm trying to think." This roused a chorus of laughter from her fellow students. It was then that she saw a new student standing beside the teacher's desk. 'He's a weird one.' She thought 'maybe he came form another state, sure seems like it.' It was just then that the boy raised his eyes to meet hers. Her green eyes met his blue and she was hit with a wave of recognition. 'Where have I seen him before?' she thought. Mentally she cataloged his features. He was around 5"6' with spiky brown hair, killer eyes, and ...yellow shoes? Yup, he wasn't from around here. Then she realized that she was staring. With a blush and a small smile she turned away. The teacher returned to the front of the class.  
"This is Sora, he's a new student at this school. Who volunteers to show Sora around?"  
All the girls in the class raised their hands, begging to show Sora around (apparently he was some great looking, mysterious, new guy... or something like that...). Nazomi slunk lower into her seat; she had never been a people person. The teacher hushed the class.  
"Lets let Sora choose." He said.  
Shyly, Nazomi looked up. Her eyes widened. Sora was staring right at her, with kind blue eyes and a warm smile.  
*~*~ Sora's POV ~*~*  
  
Sora walked down to classroom P-3 with an odd feeling of excitement. Sure, he had been excited before, but not because he was happy. Sora remembered the last time he had been this excited. He had been making plans to get off Destiny Island with Riku and Kairi until that fateful night. He still vividly remembered his rising panic, fear, and the adrenalin rush he had had. The one thing on his mind; save Kairi. But this, this was different. He remembered Donald's words (roughly translated) "Sora, Goofy has been called away to protect King Mickey. We have gotten word of a person with an extraordinary heart, almost as strong as yours. She is hindered by only one thing, herself. You must find this girl and persuade her to aide us in our cause. Keep her safe, and DON'T SCARE HER OFF! If you do, she might flee and her heart might fall into the darkness. Also, the heartless have begun invading her world. Hurry, you have three days to save her, and her world." With that Donald had left, saying he'd be back in three days time. Sora hadn't felt the least bit nervous, infact, he had felt sort of happy, and free. Stepping into the classroom, Sora was greeted by a jolly looking man. The mans smile suddenly turned into a frown. He stalked over to a girl who was staring out of a window with a faraway look on her face. 'She doesn't seem to belong here,' he thought 'could she be the one...?' He jumped and reached for his Keyblade but stopped short, remembering that he wasn't supposed to start any trouble. He gazed around and saw the source of the commotion. The teacher had slammed a book upon the desk of the girl who had captured his attention. She merely winced and said, "Do you mind, I'm trying to think." The class laughed at this and Sora smiled. The teacher returned to his side, but he was busy observing the girl. She had just looked at him and turned away blushing. Before she had dropped her gaze they had locked eyes and Sora was hit with an odd sense of familiarity. He stared a bit longer and observed her appearance. She seemed about 5"4' with shoulder length cinnamon colored hair, emerald green eyes, and a kind face. She wore olive green cargo pants, black converse sneakers, arm warmers, two belts (one red and one purple), and a black blouse that revealed her mid-drift. On her shirt it read ' The right boy for the job is a girl.' Sora smiled. Then his eyes landed upon her necklace and he did a double take. 'I-its just like mine...' he mused, 'I wonder if she'll notice. The teacher then asked who would like to show Sora around. Several people (coughGIRLScough) raised their hands but Sora's eyes remained locked on the strange girl that intrigued him so much. She shyly looked up, eyes wide, and met his blue orbs as he gave a soft smile.  
"Would you show me around?" he asked as he stepped toward her. She sat there in a state of shock and Sora chuckled softly. "Take your time." He said with a gleeful glint in his eye "although it is not a life or death decision." She blushed brighter and said "S-sure". He saw her wince at the stutter in her voice and smiled a little brighter. 'she's nervous.' He thought, 'its rather funny.' The girl rose and brushed passed Sora on her way to the door.  
  
*~*~ Nazomi's POV ~*~*  
When Sora asked Nazomi to show him around she froze. Her mind came up with different answers to this scenario. She really wanted to stay at her desk and observe the strange new boy from a safe distance but she changed her when he had told her to "take her time". She had finally gained the courage to speak but wished she hadn't when she hear herself stutter. To hide her jitters she walked briskly past Sora and into the hallway. She soon heard Sora follow her out of the class room and she turned around. Sora was all smiles. Nazomi gave a small grin compared to his huge smile and said "Hi, my name is Nazomi, I hope you'll like it h-here." She mentally sighed. She had wanted to get through her little speech without stuttering, but had had no such luck. She was almost positive she saw Sora's smile brighten a little more. "Hello," he said "my name is Sora and, if I can hang out with you, I'm sure I will like it here." This caused Nazomi to blush more and smile just a little more freely. "I'd like that." She said. Sora then pulled out his schedule and Nazomi continued the tour in a very business like manner. She explained how to get from one class to another, which teachers to avoid, and what cafeteria food not to eat. When she came to the best spots to hang out Sora asked "and where might I find you?" Nazomi smirked and stated vaguely "where ever the wind takes me. I am but a tumbleweed blowing through this boom town." "Really?" Sora asked, genuinely interested. Nazomi smiled a sad smile. "Not really," she sighed "I've never even left the state. I want to get out, you know? See different worlds. Did you ever feel that way?" Sora seemed to mull over Nazomi's words for a moment. Then he replied "I used to dream of traveling, seeing new worlds, and making my dreams come true. My friends also had the same ambitions, so we tried to make our dreams reality, cheat destiny. Now I have lost my friends and travel all of the time. My advice to you is to enjoy your life here. Your opportunity to live your dream may come sooner than you'd expect." Nazomi considered this. She got mad, and sad. "You know," she began, her voice choked with emotion "I thought you would understand. You're just like everyone else. You don't get it, do you? I feel trapped here, like a tropical bird locked in a cage. I opened my heart to a stranger and I got hurt. Well, this is the end of the line Sora." With that she pushed open the classroom door. Sora entered and grabbed her arm. "Nazomi..." he began. "No." she said without giving him a chance to speak. She wrenched her arm from his grasp, picked up her things, and left. As she jogged down the hallway she realized what a commotion her little scene would cause. She didn't really care at the moment, she just felt more trapped than ever. She needed to get out. It was then that she heard Sora's footsteps coming after her. She ran faster and heard Sora's pace increase. She was nearing the gate when couldn't move. She tried to move her legs, but she couldn't. She was still aware of everything, but it bugged her that she was frozen still. It was then that Sora came into her line of vision. She saw a large key shaped figure clenched in his hands. Suddenly she was hit with a memory long forgotten. *Falling off a tall palm tree. Hitting the water with a resounding splash as the air was knocked from her lungs. A blurry form swimming toward her. A warm hand grabbing her cold and lifeless one. Being dragged to shore. A face coming into view. It was...* Nazomi hit the ground with an ungraceful 'oof'. Sora was leaning over her. "Don't scream." He pleaded. Suddenly a blinding light flashed in her right hand. "Huh?" Nazomi asked in sheer confusion and shock. "It'll all make sense later. We've got to get out of here. Do you trust me?" Nazomi looked at the boy she had just met, yet felt so safe with. She gazed into his crystal blue eyes. Those eyes that had captivated her attention, eyes that seemed oddly familiar, and smiled. This was the one easy decision she had gotten to make all day. Sora smiled back and Nazomi felt reassured, like nothing could go wrong. She gazed at her right hand and was mildly surprised to see a red and yellow shield. Sora asked again, with arm still extended "Do you trust me?" "Of course." Nazomi said without a stutter. Nazomi took his hand and remembered the other warm hand she remembered wrapped around her own. "I, I know you." She said, unsure of the words even as she spoke them. Sora nodded. "I though you would." With that he pulled her off the ground, but he didn't let go of her hand.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ * Yesh, it is a little confuzzling, but it will become clearer as you read on. I will be updating in a minimum of three days. I will try to post the picture I have of Nazomi on my Bio, if I cant then it will be on my It is not in color, so deal. 


	2. SAY WHAT!

Hope is a Light in the Darkness By: Baka-Chibi-Puffs Chapter 2: SAY WHAT?!?!?!  
  
As Sora grabbed her hand Nazomi had another flash of memory. *A face came into view. Bright blue eyes, brown spiky hair, and a kind smile swam into view. "Nazomi," memory Sora said "are you alright?"*  
  
"Are you alright?" the real Sora said. It took Nazomi a moment to comprehend what he had said.  
  
"Umm...I-I'm fine..." she said.  
  
Sora flashed a bright smile. "Then lets get going." Sora then helped Nazomi to her feet and with a sideways glance they ran out of the school gates. Three blocks later Nazomi was winded.  
  
"Sora!" she yelled, "can we stop, please?" Sora began to turn around when out of the shadows came a dog-sized black bug.  
  
"GROSS!" though Nazomi. Before she could say a word that strange shield materialized into her hand once again. Without stopping to think she sprang in front of Sora, whacked the bug to oblivion, and yelled out "die you evil insect!!!" She heard a chuckle behind her and turned to see a highly amused Sora clutching his sides in laughter. Nazomi was mad. Well, she was more scared and nervous than mad, and she intended to let Sora know.  
  
"Excuse me if I think that big—no, no HUGE black bugs emerging from the shadows was anything to be upset about. Lets be like Sora and laugh about it!" she said sarcastically. Sora sobered up right away. With a sigh he began to explain.  
  
"Those, what did you call them, bugs?" Nazomi nodded as Sora continued. "They are called the Heartless. They are created from the darkness in people's hearts. If you let the darkness consume you entirely, you become a heartless. Yet, strong hearts with deep ties to the light can overcome and fight the darkness. You and I have these unique hearts. I go from world to world stopping the heartless and sealing the keyholes that—when opened—lead to the heart of the world. The weapon I carry is the Keyblade—it holds the power to lock the doors to the heart of the worlds. I must stop Ansem, a man bent on making the darkness the stronger. The heartless help him in his cause to overthrow the light. My friends, Donald and Goofy, were helping me fight. Sadly, Goofy was called away. I need your help, Nazomi. Will you, can you do this for me?" Nazomi was shocked. She blinked and shook her head. Sora's face fell. "I guess that's a no then, right?" "N-no! I-I mean, I need to think, okay?" "Okay." Sora shrugged "I guess I can deal with that. For now, we need to train you on fighting and hand-to-hand combat." Nazomi smirked. This was her greatest aspect. In life she was quite and unassuming, but when sparing she was an expert. They did some basic kicking and punching drills and Sora was constantly amazed at just how good she was. Then the sparred, Nazomi had volunteered the idea and Sora had just silently agreed. They did a few kicks and punches, testing each other's guard and strength. Then Nazomi got bored and did a crescent kick that knocked Sora three feet away. "Oops." She muttered as she gave Sora a hand up. "Sorry 'bout that." Sora smiled "no hard feelings" he said. Then he flipped her over onto her back. "But please keep your guard up." Nazomi detected his microscopic smirk and hopped up, eager for a good fight. Soon they were both in separate corners of a small field panting and catching their breath. Then Sora whipped out his Keyblade and gave Nazomi a look that said 'can you take the heat?' Nazomi shot him a glance that screamed 'if you play with fire you're going to get burned.' Sora charged and went in for a left cut but Nazomi parried and spun into Sora's direct range. Sora jabbed and Nazomi ducked, then she took her shield and pulled his feet out from under him. Sora landed with an 'oof!' Nazomi smirked, stood up, and took the pointed edge of her shield and pressed it to his throat. "Check mate!" she said triumphantly. Sora smirked and grabbed her food and pulled her down next to him. "I thought I told you never to let your guard down." He said with a malicious and mischievous glint in his eye. Nazomi gave a small pout. "But...but, I won!" she wined. Sora smiled "aw, don't cry Nazomi-chan, I'm just more skilled than you." "More skilled my butt!" she replied with an exaggerated anger. "You know you lost." Sora just shook his head as if to say 'you poor deranged girl', got up, and walked off. "Hey!" Nazomi cried, "w-wait for me!" and she took off running after the boy she was convinced she would beat undoubtedly one day. 


	3. chapter 3

Hope is a Light in the Darkness  
  
Chapter 3: a new foe, and a new friend By: Baka-Chibi-Puffs  
  
Nazomi caught up with Sora.

"Hey Sora..." she asked

"Hm?" he replied, looking off into the distance.

"Um...this 'savior of the world' thing...wh-when do I-I need to start?" Sora smiled. He knew that this was Nazomi's way of saying she'd help.

"What made you change your mind?" he asked

"Well," Nazomi began "I was thinking about what you said, about how my world could be lost in the darkness, and I decided that I would do my best to save my world. Then I realized how selfish that sounded. I was going to help my worlds for the sake of my friends and the people here, but then I realized that what I was feeling could relate to people on other worlds, too. I realized that I don't have room to be self centered or scared, that I needed to help who I can, while I can. And if this is how it's got to happen, so be it." Sora gave Nazomi a quizzical glance.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Not on your life." Nazomi replied, "but I figure if I'm willing to stick my neck out there for people I don't even know a little fear is no big deal, right?"

"Right" Sora chuckled. They continued on in a comfortable silence until Sora broke the silence by saying"Hey Nazomi, where are we going?"

Nazomi shrugged and said, "I thought you knew." Sora spun around and grabbed her by her shoulders.

"Do you mean we're LOST!!!"Sora asked with a rising panic in his voice.

Nazomi snickered. "Ooh! The big bad Keyblade master is scared of losing his way?" Sora shot her a warning glare and Nazomi sobered up.

"Don't stress. We're just about 3 miles from my house..."

"THREE MILES!" Sora roared.

"Chill out!" Nazomi sighed, "If we cut across this little tree area we'll be there in 20 minutes." Sora shook his head. 'This girl is going to drive me batty.' He thought. Suddenly Nazomi felt like she was being followed (its not Sora, you dense person!). Nazomi stopped in mid-step. Suddenly she was laying flat on the floor with an unknown person sitting on her legs. It was a boy with silver hair as long as hers, a yellow shirt, blue pants, and big blue shoes that reminded her of Sora's gigantic yellow shoes. What surprised Nazomi the most was not his strange clothes or eccentric entrance, but the familiar feeling she felt about him. The same feeling she felt around Sora. 'Did I know them before?' she wondered.

"Nazomi!" Sora yelled, "Are you alright?"

"Um..." Nazomi replied. Lately it seemed as if she could never get her thoughts to form coherent sentences. "I-I guess I'm okay...but," before Nazomi could finish her sentence Sora had shoved, or tried to shove, the boy off of her. The boy (she had nick-named him silver) just laughed, pushed Sora over, and gotten up. He then offered her a hand up and she took it. Again she was hit with a tide of memory.

"Nazomi!" memory Sora said once again "are you alright?" "She's fine!" said a younger version of Silver "just give her some room to breath! Stop hovering, Sora!"

"That's getting annoying..." Nazomi muttered as she shook off the flow of memories that had clouded her mind.  
"Nazomi, are you alright?" Sora asked, looking worried.  
"She's fine!" Silver sighed, "Just give her some time to breath!"  
"Whoa, De ja vu." She muttered as she looked at the pair. "I, I didn't quite catch your name." She prodded. Her aim was to find out as much about this boy as she could. The boy smirked.  
"That's because I didn't tell you my name."  
"His name is Riku." Sora sighed. "He's a friend of mine—"  
"Or so you say," Riku countered "but I don't really want to go into this now. What is your name?" he asked, addressing the last part to Nazomi. She blinked, stared and finally said.  
"Uh..."  
"Interesting name, isn't it?" he laughed.  
"M-my name is N-Nazomi." Just then another figure leapt from the tree, pouncing on Riku.  
"I got her!" the strange girl exclaimed. "Look! Look! Lookie!" she looked around frantically. "Riku? Riku?"  
"Get OFF!!" he yelled, his patience wearing thin. Startled, she looked down.  
"Oh, hi Riku!!" she greeted happily.  
"Hey Nanashi." He grumbled. Sora stood there looking bewildered and Nazomi just looked lost. Her first impression of the girl was that she was perky, too perky.  
Riku's POV  
  
I sighed, looking up at the girl who had pinned me down to the ground. She was his age with black hair and eyes and a semi-pale face. Her clothing consisted of a Heartless uniform, boots, and various other buckles and belts that he could never accurately describe. She had a heartless tattoo on her back that stuck out in any situation. Sighing again, I wondered for the millionth; but not last, time just how I had gotten stuck with this lunatic. Its really not her fault, I though to myself, its just that stupid heart I gave her. Most girls ask for flowers or candy, but she, oh she had to ask for a heart. So I went to some Spira place and I found some hyper blonde girl. At that time Nanashi began to get a little weird. On top of that, she had started referring to the hearts former owner as 'Rikku-chan'. Chuckling, I remembered the first day she had revealed the girls name to me. I thought she had finally gone insane, but then she had explained the differences and he had just laughed at their stupidity.  
While Riku was lost in thought, Nanashi had begun playing with his hair and braiding it into sections. Nazomi gave Sora a look that asked 'is she crazy?' he just shrugged. It seemed that Riku had finally come out of his daydream only to realize that Nanashi was reeking havoc on his precious hair. Riku gently grabbed her wrists and said  
"Nanashi, why are you messing with my hair?"  
She shrugged, "its just so pretty..." Riku tenderly lifted her up and as she let out a single strangled 'eep!' he dropped her ungracefully to the ground. Then he got up and began unbraiding his now girlish hair.  
"Care to explain?" Nazomi questioned Riku.  
"Not really." He replied off handedly. It was then that Nazomi realized an important fact.  
"Hey Nanashi..."  
"Yea?"  
"Where's you shadow?"  
Nanashi shrugged. "Hopefully still on Destiny Islands." Nazomi inhaled sharply. That place, why did it sound so familiar? The warm sun beating down upon her face as two nervous looking young boys stood over her.  
"Nazomi!" the memory Sora called "are you alright?"  
Nazomi laughed. "You...you sound like an, an anxious old lady!" With that she and memory Riku busted out laughing. Memory Sora blushed slightly and chuckled nervously. Nazomi gazed at her friends as the memory faded.   
Nazomi opened her eyes to see a nervous looking Sora hovering over her.  
"What happened?" she asked, holding her head.  
"You blacked out, and collapsed and well...how do I explain this..."  
"You created a pensive." Nanashi stated, using her serious side  
"A pencil?" Sora asked quizzically.  
"Not a pencil, baka, a pensive! It's a ball of energy that is used to project thoughts or memories. She was seemingly unconscious when this happened. That means that the memories projected were hidden by a spell. Something said released a memory. Nazomi, has this ever happened before?" Nazomi told them about the two other times and under what circumstances they occurred. When she told them what she saw Riku and Sora exchanged glances. 'Could she be...nah." Riku thought uncertainly. Curious, Nanashi put a hand to Nazomi's shield and one to her temple. Soon a picture was projected on the shield, her memories were then projected for everyone to see. Riku gasped. "I remember you!" "Yes!" Sora exclaimed "Your—"Before Sora could finish his sentence Riku had pushed Nanashi out of the way. A huge shadowy figure had emerged from the ground. "My shadow..." Nanashi gasped. "That's you shadow??" Nazomi squawked "Watch out!" Riku cautioned. A huge black hand was swinging down, and it was headed straight for Nazomi!

Gomen for any errors and such, i uploaded in haste. I've been kinda depressed latley, so I haven't been writing. Please forgive me and review!!! -sigh- pensive/pasts might seem confusing, but hopefully It'll become clear soon...

CHEESE TO THE CAKE,YO!

PS: review goal for story--100 (almost half way there! )


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